The Associated Press CLEVELAND Jeremy Sowers pitched

WirePublished: July 29, 2006 12:00AM

The Associated Press
CLEVELAND Jeremy Sowers pitched his second consecutive shutout and Shin-Soo Choo hit his first career homer in his Cleveland debut as the Indians defeated the Seattle Mariners 1-0 Friday night.
Choo, acquired Wednesday from Seattle for first baseman Ben Broussard, hit a 3-0 pitch from Felix Hernandez (9-9) over the wall in left-center with two outs in the sixth to put Cleveland up 1-0.
The crowd gave the 24-year-old a standing ovation when he went out to right field the next inning, many crooning, Chooooooo. One fan held up a sign with a locomotive drawn on it. The sign read, Choo, Choo.
Meanwhile, Sowers (3-3) allowed only five singles as Cleveland won for just the sixth time in its last 19 games. Seattle lost ground in the tight AL West race with its second loss in six games.
Sowers walked one and struck out three, six days after tossing a four-hitter and not allowing a runner to second base in an 11-0 win over Minnesota. The left-hander, who went 9-1 with a 1.39 ERA at Triple-A Buffalo, has not allowed an extra-base hit or a run in his last 18 inninngs.
Dick Tidrow was the last Indians rookie to pitch consecutive shutouts, doing it July 31, 1972, against Milwaukee and five days later against Detroit.
Choo, who hit .323 with 13 homers, 48 RBIs and 26 stolen bases for Triple-A Tacoma this year, walked his first two times up against his former team. But the Indians left eight runners stranded over the first five innings. Andy Marte and then Casey Blake both bounced into inning-ending double plays in the fourth and fifth.
Marte, the key player in the seven-man trade with Boston last January that sent outfielder Coco Crisp to the Red Sox, was promoted earlier Friday from Triple-A Buffalo. He brought the crowd to its feet with a long fly that faded foul his first time up, but eventually struck out in the second inning.
Sowers was helped in the first inning by good defense.
Ichiro Suzuki opened the game with a single and advanced on groundout. Adrian Beltre followed with a single to left and the speedy Suzuki tried to score. But catcher Victor Martinez blocked the plate, took a throw from left fielder Todd Hollandsworth and applied the tag for a key out.
Sowers got Beltre to ground into a double play to end the Seattle sixth.
Hernandez walked a career-high six over six innings, allowing one run and four hits and striking out four.
Notes: Broussard did not play. ... Former Indians 1B Eduardo Perez, who likely will platoon with Broussard, went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. ... 2B Ronnie Belliard pinch-hit for Joe Inglett in the seventh. He had missed six games with a strained left hamstring. Inglett went 2-for-3 to put his average at .347 (17-for-49).
SEATTLE CLEVELAND
ab r h bi ab r h bi
ISuzuki rf 4 0 2 0 Szmore cf 3 0 0 0
JoLpez 2b 4 0 0 0 Inglett 2b 3 0 2 0
Beltre 3b 4 0 2 0 Blliard 2b 1 0 0 0
Ibanez lf 4 0 0 0 Hafner dh 4 0 0 0
Sexson 1b 3 0 0 0 VMrtnz c 2 0 1 0
EduPrz dh 3 0 0 0 Blake 1b 4 0 1 0
Jhjima c 3 0 0 0 Hlndsw lf 4 0 0 0
YBtcrt ss 3 0 0 0 JhPlta ss 3 0 1 0
Jones cf 3 0 1 0 Choo rf 2 1 1 1
Marte 3b 3 0 0 0
Totals 31 0 5 0 Totals 29 1 6 1
Seattle 000 000 000 0
Cleveland 000 001 00x 1
EJoLopez (8), Marte (1). DPSeattle 2, Cleveland 1. LOBSeattle 5, Cleveland 10. 2BJhPeralta (20). HRChoo (1). SBInglett (2).
IP H R ER BB SO
Seattle
FHernandez L,9-9 6 4 1 1 6 5
Sherrill 1 0 0 0 0 2
JMateo 1 2 0 0 0 1
Cleveland
Sowers W,3-3 9 5 0 0 1 3
WPFHernandez. PBJohjima.
UmpiresHome, Randy Marsh; First, Angel Hernandez; Second, Hunter Wendelstedt; Third, Sam Holbrook.
T2:28. A25,045 (43,415).